Have you ever had a gut feeling about something in sports, but it is so crazy and off the wall that you never voice it for fear of losing all credibility? These are the type of things you’d never bet money on, yet you pull for them out of hope or some sort of self validation. These are the types of things that you blurt out while finishing off your second 32oz beer at the game, only to hope your friends are too drunk to remember. These are the educated guesses that skip the “educated” part.
That’s what I want to do here. Give me that ridiculous prediction that you see in line for the Tigers this year. Leave your long shot predictions in the comments, and we’ll just try and have some fun. No mocking allowed! It can be about trades, breakthrough seasons, breakdown seasons, individual achievements, or team accomplishments. You won’t be thought less of (at least not by me). To start things off I’ll give you this:
Craig Monroe will start off the season crushing the ball and he will be competing in the Home Run Derby All Star Weekend.
Actually, this is a cheap stall tactic. I’m working on previewing the Tigers bullpen. Unfortunately, that’s tough to do when I only feel confident about three of the six guys manning the late innings. Between the Urbina trade rumors, the battle of the out-of-option crew (German, Colyer, and Knotts), and a strong looking Fernando Rodney the bullpen is still unsettled. Given all the uncertainty, I’m going to punt and buy some time.
I’m totally pulling for Mike Maroth to win 20 games.
marcus thames will get 400 AB’s and put up a .900 OPS
Inge and Pena gold glove their positions this year.
I’m also pulling for my favorite Tiger Brandon Inge. He’s already come such a long way from the Toledo send-down. Do I hear a 290-300 average at the plate?
Carlos Pena will hit 30-35 homeruns with a .370 OBP… Bonderman will strike out 18 Twins in a game
Maroth will win 15 games, Bonderman will win at least as many and the Tigers will finish above .500 for the first time in a million years!
Monroe will have 30 homers, Maggs will hit 40 with 115 RBI, Inge will hit .290, Pena will put together a full season and Pudge and Guillen will duplicate last years success.
Farsworth has career year, pitching staff comes together, Nook Logan impresses lots of people. If Ordonez’s knee is great, Young stay healthy, pitchings staff matures together and Tigs make a run at 90 wins.
Four of the tigers starters will win 15 games each
In the year 2005 Alex Sanchez will be traded three times by years end.
Bobby Higginson will start at least one game in center.
Urbina, White and cash sent to Cubs for Patterson and a prospect.
In the year 2005, The Tigers will get into a brawl against the white sox after Bonderman brushes back Konerko, Inge will get a 6 game suspention for hogtying Konerko and wrestling him to the ground. Dean Palmer starts three out of six of those games going 3 for 13 with one double and 2 RBI.
In the year 2005 the Tigers Finish 92-70 and win the Central Division
Tigers win 82 games and finish 5 back of Twins.
Tigers bullpen is becomes a strength–with or without Urbina–and saves the day repeatedly for shaky starting pitching.
Jason Johson is a huge disappointment and goes 9-13 with a grip of no-decisions.
Bonderman wins 17. Maroth 14. Robertson 14. Ledezma proves he’s not yet ready by early June and gets shipped back to AAA. Gary Knotts fills the fifth spot for remainder of season.
Franklin German is MVP of Tigers staff. But get’s burned out by early September just as Tigers fall out of first place after a three day ride in the catbird seat.
Inge settles in around .275.
Pena continues to frustrate with inconsistency. Finishes year with 26 HR and 76 RBI. Bats .262.
Ordonez is unbelievable. Rocks an MVP season but is of course beaten out for the award by someone far less deserving who isn’t a Detroit Tiger.
Bonderman wins 20, makes ASG after starting 8-2.
White and Urbina traded late-June for a 1B prospect further putting Pena on the outs.
Trade fallout puts Thames in LF and Monroe stays in CF. Granderson gets late-July call-up after Thames flakes out, shifting Monroe to LF, and makes a rousing appearance in sealing the position for 2006.
Ordonez misses 2-3 weeks, but manages to hit .270 with 25 HRs and 85 RBI.
Tigers finish third in the Central, 10 games over .500 behind the powerful Twinkies and a surprising White Sox team.
On a hot shot by the Indians’ Juan Gonzalez, Inge starts a 5-4-3 triple play.
Ledezma goes on the DL in a freak bunting accident.
Bonderman strikes out the side in the All-Star Game.
Pudge’s production plummets, and on one 80-degree day, Gibby gets under his skin.
Dmitri leads the team in average, but he chips a tooth when an errant throw hits him as he slides into third.
Chris Shelton pulls a grand slam homer on his birthday, June 26, though I’m a little foggy on whether it’s for Toledo or (due to an injury to Pena) for the Tigers.
Pudge will perform better than last year to quell the steroid-related whispers about his offseason weight-loss
Bonderman will be in the running for the Cy Young, Maroth will win 15, and Franklyn German will finally throw a first pitch strike.
Monroe will perform so well defensively in center that he’ll make me regret the fact I was arguing in favor of Logan this spring.
Pena will finally hit for a decent average.
Inge winning the Gold Glove? Love this prediction. Check this out–remind anyone of Brooks Robinson?
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/multimedia/tp_archive.jsp?c_id=det&ym=200408
…scroll down the the August 21 clips and click on “Inges diving stop.”
Absolutely ridiculous play.
Great stuff guys. Exactly what I was hoping for…keep it coming
Percival will not regress. Well…not too much. And everyone in the pen will have career years.
Infante will earn an all-star nod and finish the year .300/20hr/80 rbi.
The Tigers and Chi Sox with have no less than 3 brawls this year. Mags will get injured during one, thus voiding the remainder of his contract.
Palmer will make the team, but will retire after a Norton/Paquettesque showing.
Higgy will be released, sign with Houston…and be released before the all-star break. Then he’ll sign with Tampa Bay and be converted into a closer.
Beane will try and reacquire Bonderman for Eric Byrnes.
Guillen will put up similar numbers to last year. Well…close.
Thames will hit 51 homers, rack up a load of gambling debt, and skip town.
Monroe wiil be out for a month after accidently wearing a purse out of a New York botique.
Pudge will gun down Sanchez 3 times in one game.
In the year 2005 the Tigers will average 31000 fans per game at comerica park
Drew Henson, annoyed at the Parcells/Bledsoe love affair, will decide he wants to come back to baseball. The Tigers pick him up in September and, unhindered by injuries or the pressures of New York, he has a fantastic season.
Jeremy Bonderman, not liking the competition, performs to an even more scintillating standard. He’s shooting Cy Young, and by the time July rolls around people are thinking it could happen.
Dmitri Young actually eats an opposing player.
Craig Monroe spends weeks running sprints and stairs, and by the time midsummer rolls around he is one of the fastest centerfielders in the game.
Oh, and the Tigers will sell out every home game for a month.
Howzzat for some wild predictions?
Calos Pena will hit .291/34/89
The Fetzer’s will buy back the Tigers,Fox Sports will go belly-up,The games will be shown on WKZO-TV,and the Tigers win the World Series in 4! I have got to stop eating that Whitefish from the U.P., I’m hallucinating again, eh?